


Village in the Sky

by GJBN



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Blow Jobs, First Kiss, First Time Blow Jobs, M/M, Rick cant hold his liquor, Rick cant play poker, Romance, Sex, Tree huts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 04:10:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4507224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GJBN/pseuds/GJBN
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The prison has fallen but fortunatly we had a back up plan</p>
            </blockquote>





	Village in the Sky

Village in the Sky.

I woke up with a jolt that send pokes of fire through my ribcage. It was hard to believe that something as relatively innocent as a cracked rib could hurt like this. Daryl said it wasnt broken. When I’d asked him how he knew, he said that he’d had enough broken ribs in his life to know what was what. I believed him. I thought the right thing would be to wrap my chest tightly. He told me that was the oldfashioned way to do it. That it would heal faster if I could breathe freely…”breathe freely” yeah that was not going to happen anytime soon. I groaned and carefully straightened myself in the car-seat. ”Sorry” Daryl said sheepishly. ”What happened?” I asked and looked around. I couldnt see anything different, trees of various kinds…just trees. But I knew Daryl would see things I didnt even know to look for. ”There was a sigh a little bit further up the road. I wanna go check it out” he said. I groaned again and moved to open the door. ”No” he put a hand on my arm ”Ill go check it out. You stay in the car. No need to move around too much as those ribs.” I hated that he would go out alone. We should stay together, epsecially now. Right now the 2 of us was all we had. When Daryl say that I was going to object, he ended it by say that if something happened, I wouldnt be able to move fast enough anyways. Of course he was right but that didnt mean it felt right. I really didnt want to let him out of my sight. ”Rick, you need to not move about too much. Ill find a place to park where the car isnt as visible and you can put the seat back and rest. Ill be back as soon as possible” he said and started easing the car into the brush next to the road. If anyone plassed it, it would look like any other car that was abandoned. As he moved to get out of the car, I reached out and grabbed his arm. I knew he didnt like to be touched. He’d never said as much but he always flinched pulled back. I didnt think of that when I got hold of his arm. He did flinch and looked back at me. Something in my face must have told him how scared I was to be left alone when I really couldnt defend myself and also how scared I was that something happened to him when I couldnt have his back. ”Ill be back soon. I promise” he said quitely as he moved my hand from his arm. He grabbed his crossbow from the backseat and in the blink of an eye he’d vansihed between the trees. I wondered if he was perhaps having ancestors between Native Americans. Id heard some of those had the ability to vanish infront of your eyes. I shook my head at myself. My thoughts were probably affected by the slight fever I knew I was running. Carefully I leaned the seat back. I was completly out of sight from bypassers if they didnt get to close to the car.  
I thought about the others. The rest of our group. Where they were now, how they were holding up. I was still sad that the prison was gone. We had build a life there. We had felt safe or as safe as anyone could feel these days. I was glad that we had planned an exit strategy when the insane one eyed man set his sight on the prison. I know Glenn had wanted us to stay and fight to keep it. But Hershel and I had argued that no place is worth the life of anyone in our group, in our family. I didnt want to lose anyone, least of all Carl and Judith in a fight with an insane man. Daryl had suggested that we decided on a place where we would all go to if things went sour. It turned out to be a really good idea. After looking at maps for quite a while, debating the pros and cons we decided on a small town called Emilys Creek. We would all go there if possible. In the towns church we would leave messages for eachother behind the alter. The town was far enough away from the prison for it to seem like finding a needle in a haystack that the Governor should look for us there. Shortly after the decicion was made Michonne and Daryl piled up half of our weapons, half our medical supplies and most of what we’d found of canned goods in a car and went off to Emilys Creek. The plan was for them to find a secure place in the town to store it so we wouldnt have to start from scratch if and when. I guess we knew deep down that we would have to leave the prison. We should perhaps just have gone when we’d decided on Emilys Creek. But we’d all put so much work into the prison and against hope we did hope. When the Governor showed up with his small army, tank and all, we all made it together to the part of the prison where the walls had crumbled way before we ever found it. Id seen Beth and Hershel getting in one of the cars and Judith had been with them. I was panicking cause I couldnt find Carl. I was turning to run back inside when another granate was fired from the front of the building. It send parts of the already unstable wall down. I was hit directly on my torso by a flying brick. I didnt really register the pain as Daryl restrained me from going back in. I had to find Carl. It took Daryl quite some frantic coaxing to get trough to me that he’d infact seen Carl slipping into the tree line with Michonne. We’d been on the road for a while when I started noticing the stabbing burning pain in my chest. All the while Daryl kept telling me that Carl was alright, that he was with Michonne and to breathe calmly. I tought I was having a panic attack cause my breathing was so laboured. When we stopped after a few hours Daryl pulled up my shirt and whistled quietly. ”You’ll be feeling these cracked ones for a while” he said.   
I hadnt expected to fall alseep but I must have a some point. Cause I woke up when the door on the drivers side quietly clicked shut. Daryl was back in the car. I had no idea how long he’d been gone or how long Id been out. I felt slightly guilty for him being outthere and me being in the car sleeping. He looked quite elated and I asked what he’d found. ”You’ll see” he said, looking ever so secretive. I knew it had to be something worthwhile for him to act like this. He got the car started and turned around to go back the way we’d come. We drove about 2 miles up the road and then he turned left, into the trees. Or so it seemed. We were actually on an overgrown dirt road which had been close to invisible from the main road. Daryl stopped the car and got out. He cleared some weeds and branched away from a beat up wooden sign so I could see what it said. ”Hapku Tree Hut Village”. Daryl was now grinning from ear to ear and I couldnt help but smile back. He gave the sign a few solid kicks so it disappeared completly from sight.   
We inched slowly down the road and soon the main road was completly gone. Instead the most amazing tree constructions showed up. Not little tree houses for kids, but real huts, like little cabins. I counted 10 that I could see. There were also a brick building which seemed a little out of place but it was probably the reception or something like that. Daryl switched off the car and turned to me ”What do you think?” I was still trying to take it all in. ”Daryl! This is amazing! This is…wow!” I said. Not very intelligent but I couldnt even begin to describe the possibilities this could have for our family. I slowly got out and took a few steps towards the first hut. The stairs upthere were real stairs and not something you have to cling on to for dear life. I heard Daryl close behind me. I should have know that Id need help to get up cause I was out of breath after the first few steps. He didnt say anything, just took my arm and draped across his shoulder to half support, half carry me up the remaining steps. He never did say anything when he helped people out. He just did it. In some strange way it made many of his good deeds go unnoticed. I guess that was just Daryl, the ”get-things-done”guy.   
There was a little porch infront of the hut, even a little bench. I didnt even think to knock on the wall to stir up any lucking walkers, I just opened the door. Two rooms, a livingroom with a couple of chairs, a small table and a little wood stove. There were windows on the 3 sides I could see, with red and white checkered curtains. A few steps in and I could look into the bedroom which was more like an alcove as there wasnt room for anything but the bed. Above it were shelves with tightly stacked paperbacks. I slowly lowered down on one of the chairs, put my hands in my face and started crying. Big heaving sobs that made my ribs burn. I couldnt stop. It was undoubtedly a reaction to being hurt, to losing the prison, to not knowing where my kids were. And now to finding something that could very well end up being blessing from the sky.  
I couldnt possibly have picked a better way to freak out Daryl. When my sobbing finally stilled, I looked up to find him still rooted to the floor in the same place. He was looking at me wide eyed. ”Ill just…I gotta..you can…” he stuttered and reached out, I think to pat my shoulder. Instead he turned on his heal and went back out the door. I probably would have smiled a bit if I wasnt so utterly exhausted. I shrugged off my jacket and boots. Left it on the middle of the floor and shuffled towards the alcove. I sat down on the edge of the bed and took off the gunbelt, placing it next to the pillow. Better safe than sorry and then I gingerly laid down and pulled the red blanket over me. Slowly I left out a long breath and felt some of the tension lifting. I wondered where Daryl had gone and when he’d be back. He’d probably show up when he was certain that my breakdown had stilled. Poor Daryl. Stuck with a wounded sobbing baby of a man. I allowed myself to enjoy the feeling of a real mattress and a real pillow and I was out cold faster than Id expected.  
When I woke up again, the curtains had been closed, an oil lamp gave the inside of the cabin a golden glow. It felt positively peaceful. Daryl was sitting in the floor, fidgeting with some green rope. When I started moving, he looked up ”Feel better? You must have needed the sleep.” I rubbed my eyes and said ”Yeah…why are you sitting on the floor? And what are you doing?” He gave me one of those looks that showed he thought me a little slow on the uptake from time to time. ”If I keep the lamp on the floor, it doesnt light up the windows as much until we get something that can totally keep in the light. And a fishing net.” ”Oh” I said, that made sense, about the light and why was he talking about fishing nets. The question must have been obvious on my face cause he snorted and said again slowly ”You asked what I was doing. A fishing net. There’s actually a big lake just behind the last tree hut. I figured it would be good to have a net permanently in the lake” I just looked at him. ”So you’re just making a fishing net? Are there anything you cant do?” He did his usual shrug and mmm mmmed like he always did when someone praised him. ”No, Daryl. Seriously. You’re like the modern Robinson Crusoe or something.” ”Stop” he said, clearly uncomfortable. ”I checked out the reception-building. It was also a little shop and it seems like it must have been forgotten. There are all sorts of stuff” and nodded to a small mountain of food on the floor. Canned peaches. Small boxes of cereal. Some energy bars and chocolate bars. Real actual chocolate bars. Probably stale as heck but still, chocolate. Daryl handed me a Mars bar. I nearly had tears in my eyes again when I bit into it. The sweet rich chocolate flavour. This was heaven. ”Carl will have a fit when he sees this” I said with my eyes closed. I felt the void from having the kids near me. I knew I wasnt in any shape to protect them at that moment. But not knowing where they were left me feeling empty. Daryl must have known what was going through my mind cause he said quietly ”They are fine. Carl and Judith. They are on their way to Emilys Creek and soon they’ll be here.” The way he said it, with no room for doubt that made me believe it too.  
After a while Daryl held up the fishing net. It looked like something you could have bought in a fishinggoods store. I wouldnt have been able to tell the difference. We spend some time chatting about the possibilities this place had for us. ”When the others get here, we can start cutting down trees from somewhere not too close and bring it back to make good fences” Daryl said. ”We only have to worry about three sides cause of the lake back there” I nodded and added that there were plenty of huts for all of us and we could even use some for storage space. After a while I started nodding off. I felt a bit annoyed that I was so tired all the time. Daryl wanted me to take the bed. I couldnt deny that I really wanted to be comfortable through the night. There were room for the both of us. But Daryl pulled out one of the deep drawers that were pushed under the bed and started pulling out big fluffy down comforters. ”Ill be comfy on the floor with these” he said and ended my objections. Before laying down he put a chair under the doorhandle. We didnt think walkers would make it up the stairs but other humans might. Neither of us would have slept much if we hadnt taken all the precautions we could.  
The next couple of days we explored the area, the other tree huts, the lake, the reception building which turned out to be a real treasure chest. There was a small bathroom, no running water of course but we could rig up some tubes from the lake to the bathroom with some kind of levy. The back of the house was a large pantry. Some of the things were long expired and inedible. Others were expired but still edible and then some that were even within the expiration date. It could all last us a long time if we were careful, still going out on runs etc. The tree huts all more or less had the same lay out, execpt for one with had probably been for honeymooners or something. It had the same livingroom as the one we’d stayed in the first days. But also a small set of stairs up to a tiny second floor which was occupied byt a large mattress. I could imagine Carl would love to sleep upthere. And Judith could bunk with him as well. I knew Carl felt hugely responsible for his babysister. If I dint make him do other things he would take over the care for her completly. I hated that he was so grownup and that he took on such responsibilities. But I suppose it was better than the alternative of him not knowing his way around in this world. I couldnt change how his life, our lives looked like now.  
Daryl started talking about driving to Emilys Creek and if the others werent already there, then check out if they had left a message and if they hadnt leave directions for them to find us. I didnt like the way he talked about it. It sounded as if he wasnt to go by himself. I knew it meant we would be separated for at least a day, maybe more if things didnt go exactly according to plan. And we had learned that things hardly ever went like we’d planned. I could understand his logic. That one of us had to stay back, if someone else stumbled over our village in the sky. And in that case pursuade them with whatever means to move on. I was worried about the ”whatever means”. Id long ago accepted that I was no longer the deputy that followed the rules. I wasnt the good guy anymore. I knew Id do whatever it took to secure this place for my family. No, what unsettled me was Daryl alone on the road. Yeah, he could handle himself. Better than me if I should be honest about it. But…I was use to us having eachothers backs. In situations of stress and danger we worked together like a well-oiled machine. We had an instinctive understanding of eachother. I didnt like that he’d go off and I wasnt there to keep him safe. I didnt say as much cause I know Daryl would have taken offence if I had. Daryl could take care of himself and he wanted everyone to know it. He was sort of cat-like in that manner. He stayed around people cause he wanted to, not because he needed to. In the end he put his foot down and told me I had to stay back cause I wasnt in any shape to travel anyways. My arguements about feeling much better fell on deaf ears.  
Daryls fishing net worked. I knew it would. On the night before we’d agreed he should drive to Emilys Creek, or rather Daryl had said thats when it should be, he’d emptied the fishing net and we’d made a nice dinner of roast fish, . I felt the void from having the kids near me. I knew I wasnt in any shape to protect them at that moment. But not knowing where they were left me feeling empty. Daryl must have known what was going through my mind cause he said quietly ”They are fine. Carl and Judith. They are on their way to Emilys Creek and soon they’ll be here.” The way he said it, with no room for doubt that made me believe it too.  
The next couple of days we explored the area, the other tree huts, the lake, the reception building which turned out to be a real treasure chest. There was a small bathroom, no running water of course but we could rig up some pipes from the lake to the bathroom with some kind of levy. The back of the house was a large pantry. Some of the things were long expired and inedible. Others were expired but still edible and then some that were even within the expiration date. It could all last us a long time if we were careful, still going out on runs etc. The tree huts all more or less had the same lay out, execpt for one with had probably been for honeymooners or something. It had the same livingroom as the one we’d stayed in the first days. But also a small set of stairs up to a tiny second floor which was occupied byt a large mattress. I could imagine Carl would love to sleep upthere. And Judith could bunk with him as well. I knew Carl felt hugely responsible for his babysister. If I dint make him do other things he would take over the care for her completly. I hated that he was so grownup and that he took on such responsibilities. But I suppose it was better than the alternative of him not knowing his way around in this world. I couldnt change how his life, our lives looked like now.  
Daryl started talking about driving to Emilys Creek and if the others werent already there, then check out if they had left a message and if they hadnt, then leave directions for them to find us. I didnt like the way he talked about it. It sounded as if he was to go by himself. I knew it meant we would be separated for at least a day, maybe more if things didnt go exactly according to plan. And we had learned that things hardly ever went like we’d planned. I could understand his logic. That one of us had to stay back, if someone else stumbled over our village in the sky. And in that case pursuade them with whatever means to move on. I was worried about the ”whatever means”. Id long ago accepted that I was no longer the deputy that followed the rules. I wasnt the good guy anymore. I knew Id do whatever it took to secure this place for my family. No, what unsettled me was Daryl alone on the road. Yeah, he could handle himself. Better than me if I should be honest about it. But…I was use to us having eachothers backs. In situations of stress and danger we worked together like a well-oiled machine. We had an instinctive understanding of eachother. I didnt like that he’d go off and I wasnt there to keep him safe. I didnt say as much cause I know Daryl would have taken offence if I had. Daryl could take care of himself and he wanted everyone to know it. He was sort of cat-like in that manner. He stayed around people cause he wanted to, not because he needed to.   
Daryls fishing net worked. I knew it would. The evening before we’d agreed that he was driving to Emilys Creek, or rather Daryl had said it would be that day. He’d killed any arguement from me by saying that I wasnt in any shape to travel anyway. Eventhough I was feeling so much better, I knew he was right. It didnt mean I had to like it. Well, Daryl had pulled the net out of the lake and we’d made a delicious dinner from the two fish he’d caught and canned corn and mushrooms from the surrounding forest. It was almost sinfully good. When we’d closed the curtains and put the oillamp on the floor and stacked ourselves up with pillows and blankets, Daryl secretively pulled out a bag from under the table. ”Guess what I found” he said. I had no idea. Out of the bag he pulled to bottles of redwine and a deck of cards. ”Its poker-night” he smiled. ”Well, I dont know how to play poker” I replied. ”Seriously, you dont?” his face fell. ”Ill teach you, its easy!” Perhaps it was easy to him but I didnt really get the rules. Perhaps it was also somewhat related to the fact that Id started sporting quite a buzz after the first glass of redwine. Daryl laughed his ass off, calling me a lightweight and what have you. I defended myself that I hadnt had a drop of alcohol since Hershel, Glenn and myself had that unfortunate encounter with those two shady guys in the pub after the ”barn-walker-shooting”. Daryl reminded me that he’d not had a drink since the CDC which seemed like a lifetime ago. Perhaps he was right, I was probaly a lightweight. The redwine was undoubtedly something very cheap cause it sure wouldnt have sold for the great taste. But never the less it was so nice to relaxe in the sort of boneless way alcohol made you do. And I didnt even mind getting my butt seriously kicked by Daryl in poker. I had a slight suspicioun that he cheated but I couldnt get my head together and wrapped around the rules enough for me to really figure out where he did cheat if that was the case. Of course it also could be that poker was just another thing he had down to a T. When both bottles were empty, I tried to stand up which turned out to be impossible. I was a bit embarrassed cause I think Daryl had actually had most of the wine. My legs felt like rubber from the legs down and I just couldt get the to support me and I ended up falling flat on the floor, laughing drunkenly at myself. Daryl snorted and got up to help me. Finally he managed to pull me to my feet. ”Bed!” I said ”cause the damn room is spininning” ”You’re spinning” he mumbled back and half carried, half pulled me towards the bed. He let me fall down onto it and he must have been more drunk than he appeared cause as he dropped me, he sort of slipped and fell next to me. And we were both laughing as the drunken fools we were. I turn to look at him and I have no idea why I did it but I reached out and let my index finger trace his cheekbone. Daryl didnt pull away but became very still while he continued to look me in the eye. I leaned in and kissed him. It wasnt something Id thought about. Id never kissed anyone but Lori. It just felt right, it felt like I wanted to kiss him and I did. The back of my mind, behind the drunk haze, was swiling with thoughts about my kissing him, my kissing a man, my kissing Daryl, my kissing SOMEONE! But those thoughts didnt seem as important as feeling his lips moving against mine. I inched closer and put the palm of my hand against his check which made him close his eyes and tilt his head a little bit so the kiss became deeper. He tasted of redwine, the cigarettes he’d found several cartons of in the reception and of something that could only be Daryl himself. My hand found its way into his hair which my brain on some level registered as being really soft, and I pulled him closer so we were flush against eachother. And then the whole situation shifted. Id never not been the one in absolute control when being intimate with Lori. She liked handing over the control. Id never thought that it could be any different. Daryl rolled us around so he was on top of me and it felt like his hands where everywhere. He kissed me like I was the air he desparatly needed and it send little lightning bolts through my body. From kissing me, he started biting my jaw and down my neck. I was certain he was leaving marks and I absolutly didnt care. I pulled up his shirt so I could get my hands on his skin. Daryl was so warm. I ran my hands up his back, not paying particular attention to the scars. He knew Id seen them and I didnt care. They were just part of Daryl. I couldnt believe how greatly I enjoyed touching someones bare skin again and not least to have someone touch me. I gasped when he sucked my Adams apple. My God, it was so sexy along with the scatching of his beard. I frantically reached for him when he suddenly leaned back. But he was just pulling off his shirt and started for mine, carefully unbuttoning every button. When I tried to just pull it over my head, he slapped my hands away and growled ”No, Ill do it!” Shit, his voice was on fire like this! When the shirt was gone, he raked his fingers down my sides, making me squirm in the best possible way. I janked at his hair to pull him up for another kiss and flipped us around. I wanted to get my mouth on his collarbones…why was I suddenly attracted to Daryls collarbones when Id never paid any attension them before? By Lord they were inviting and his shoulders were almost sinfully wide. He had a light dusting of hair on his chest and I rubbed my nose in them. He hissed when I accidentially brushed his nipples. Well, if that wasnt an invitation. And I licked across one and then the other, bit lightly at the tip and blew on them to tease him. Apparently it worked cause he pushed my head downwards. Instantly I knew what he wanted. And it cleared my mind immidiatly. I sort of froze. ”Shit, Rick! Im sorry, I just got carried away. You dont have to. Im sorry!” Daryl said rather frantically. ”No, no. Wait!” I responded. I wanted to. When I thought about it, I really wanted to. ”No, I want to, Daryl!” And I lowered my mouth to lick around his belly button. The smell of his skin was absolutly intoxicating. The lamp on the floor in the livingroom gave everything a golden glow, including his skin. It looked warm and inviting and I loved feeling it under my lips and tongue. I traced my fingers lightly along the hem of his jeans which made him gulp in a breath of air. Letting my tongue follow the same path and his hips jerked a bit. I could feel him trying really hard to be immobile. God, it was such a turn on to know that I made him do all these little involountary things. Daryl was the most controlled person Id ever know and now I was making him feel like this. I slid my hands up the inside of his thighs, thinking how different he felt. No softness and rounded shapes. Instead hard muscles and bony hips. That thought made me mouthe at the inside of his hipbones which earned me a quiet little moan and I couldnt help smiling. Another little sigh came when I finally put my hand on the prominent bulge in his jeans. The thought that I was now touching another mans dick in a highly sexual way didnt ring as alien in my head as I would have thought previously. I gave him a few squeezes and started unbuttoning his jeans. The last button made his erection spring free. My mind was spinnning 100 mph, I wanted to stall a bit. I knew I wanted to do this but it was still a bit step from an hour ago where Id never thought of anything sexual in relations to another man. I pulled at Daryls jeans, partly to give myself a bit more time. He lifted his hips so I could pull them down and off. For the first time he seemed a little selfconscious. Looking away when I looked up at him. I didnt want him to ruin this for us both by pulling away now so resolutly put my hand around the shaft and gave it a few slow strokes while I continued to look at his face. Immidiatly his hips jerked into my hand, he closed his eyes and seemed to realaxe and forget about the little moment of selfdoubt. I continued to jerk him off and alternately giving his balls a few gentle squeezes. Finally I felt Id gathered enough courage to put my moth on him. I figured I knew what I liked and Id try to wing it from there. I started out by sucking each of his balls into my mouth, one at a time and carefully rolled them around and felt them pull up slightly. Licked up a wet stribe on the underside of his dick and then took it all in my mouth, or as much of it as I could fit. I knew I wasnt up to choking myself so what I couldnt fit in, I used my hand on. I did everything I could think of that would feel good on me. Swirled my tongue around the tip, squeezed the shaft to alternate pressure, placed open mouthed kissed up and down, worshipped the thick vein on the back, plamed over the head, dipped my tongue into the slit. The more I could feel Daryl shaking underneath me and hear his surpressed moans, feel his dick twitching, the more I loved this. It was such a turn on. I felt my own raging hard on, straining in my pants. I didnt offer myself any relief, I wanted this to be all about HIM! He started tugging on my hair and I knew he was close. I had some stray thoughts about wanting to carry this through to the end and that made me hmmm at the thought which was apparently the last straw for Daryl as he started coming down my throat. I couldnt claim that the taste and feeling was great but I couldnt claim otherwise either. It was just part of the whole experience. I kept licking until I fet him squirm a bit and I knew the sensation would soon be too much so I pulled off. I let myself fall on the bed next tim him and turned to look at him. I regretted not having had the precence of mind to look up at him when he came. Somehow that seemed very important. That I knew what he looked like when he came. Id remember that next time…..next time? Right now he had a slack look on his face, eyes closed, little beads of sweat on his forhead that I suddenly wanted to taste and he was still breathing heavily. I placed my hand on his chest and felt his heart fluttering like a thousand butterflies. He turned his head and looked at me. ”Shit, Rick! That was….wow! Its the hardest Ive ever come in my life!” I felt ridiculously happy. ”Well, it could just be beginners luck” I said to which he snorted out a laugh. ”Just give me a sec” he said ” Ill help you out.” I blushed furiously which was kinda silly for a man my age. ”No need” I told him sheepishly. ”Are you telling me that you’ve just come in you pants?” his eyes gleaming in amusement. ”Well, it was hot! YOU were hot!” for some reasone I felt the need to defend myself for having had the typical teenage-accident happening. He suddenly looked uncomfortable. I realised that he felt weird about my claiming he was hot. He started moving about. ”What are you doing?” I asked, worried that he’d leave. I didnt want him to leave. Before this I wanted us to stay together cause we were family and we worked well together and trusted eachother 100%. Now…I didnt want him to leave for all of the above reasons. But I also didnt want him to leave because I didnt want to lose the feeling of his warm, rich smelling body so close to mine. I didnt want to be alone again. I realised with a jolt how lonely Id been these last years. Id been the center of my family but Id been so lonely. I knew that Daryl could quench that feeling. ”Just figured that Id get my bed ready” he grumbled. I reached out to grab his arm ”Please dont go. Dont leave now. Please stay here!” I realised how desperate I sounded. He looked at me for a long time, seaching my eyes, my face. Apparently he found something there cause he stopped fidgeting and sighed ”Cant deny that this is more comfortable than the floor!” Id sort of forgotten that I had to get up and when I started climbing over him, he looked a me questioningly. ”If I dont get these jeans off and wash up a bit, they’ll be glued to me in the morning” ”Ahhh I forgot” he huffed. ”Shut up!” I replied, not really meaning it. I climbed over him and went down to the reception bathroom. I dropped the jeans in a bucket of water, figuring Id deal with them tomorrow and instead washed up a bit. Not something I enjoyed greatly as the water wasnt exactly a pleasant temperature. When Id finished and went up the stairs, I remembered a song Id once heard ”Buck Naked in the Woods”. I couldnt recall who the singer was but someone Southern. I was laughing quietly to myself went I came through the door. Daryl appeared to be sleeping. I blew out the oil lamp and climbed over him as quietly as I good, hoping not to wake him up. Id forgotten that even the faintest sound would wake him up. When Id setteled in under the blanket, I felt him move and then his hand on my arm ”Goodnight, Rick.” for some reason that made me feel reidiculously good.  
I felt weird as we went about the usual morning routines. We’d quickly found out that we could boil water for coffee on the little wood stove in the hut. That always made mornings better, the smell of coffee. Daryl was always the first one up. He woke at the crack of dawn so he got the coffee ready. I loved waking up to the warm rich smell of coffee. I caught him staring at me several times. When Id gone outside on the porch with my mug and leaned against the little railing, he came up behind me. Not touching me but standing close enough for me to feel the warmth off his body. ”You regret it?” he asked. I turned around quickly ”Fuck no, Daryl! No! Why do you think that?” ”You’ve been acting weird since you woke up, not wanting to look me in the eye” he said quietly. I put the mug on the railing and took the small step towards him and put both hands on each side of his face. ”I dont regret it for a second! Never think that. It was amazing! It was amazing that it was you! Fuck no! I just cant stop thinking about you going outthere today. And Im staying here. What if you dont come back? What if you dont come back to me?” I leaned to press my forhad against his. He let out a sigh. ”I thought you’d regretted it and now it would be all awkward between us and Id kick myself for it” he said ”I always come back, Rick!” The rest of the morning went much too fast. We packed up the car and moved other stuff about the place. When it was time for him to drive off, he came up to me and put his hand on my stommach ”Two days! Tops! I promise!” and then he got in the car and drove off.   
I spend the rest of the day on edge. Listening to sounds in the trees which just seemed to sound differently now when I was there alone. I decided Id go crazy if I didnt do something usefull. I started packing up all our stuff from the hut we’d stayed in so far. I was the one with the kids so I unanimously voted that Id get the biggest hut. There would be the extra space for Carl and Judith. And Daryl and I could have the bedrove/alcove. I wondered what Daryl would think about my deciding without him that we’d be living together. Would he feel awkward about the rest of the family knowing that we lived together. I guess we could say that he was sleeping on the floor. No, we were grown men, we should be able to settling like we wanted without anyone else having a say in it. I knew Carl loved Daryl and idolized him greatly and Judith was too young to care either way.  
I sorted most of the stock in the reception building. Threw away anything that was unuseful. When Id finished the shelves still looked indredibly well stocked. In the evening I went through the paperbacks that was also on the shelves in the new hut and found ”Lord of the Rings”. Id read it when I was a teenager. Id of course seen the movies which seemed a lifetime ago. I couldnt really get into it now and couldnt find a comfortable position. I knew I was being a really sad case, when I finally gave up and went back to the old hut and grabbed the red blanket from the bed and took it with me. It smelled like Daryl and apparently Id turned into a pre-apocalyptic teenage girl. But I immidiatly felt more at ease and soon I was disappearing in to The Shire, Rivendel and Mordor.   
The following day went in much the same fashion. I tried to keep busy while constantly stopping to listen to anything that I deemed an usual noise. I cant even count the times that I was certain that Id heard a car-engine. I knew that Daryl couldnt possibly be back so soon.   
I was in bed with ”Lord of the Rings” and I was quite certain it was late, when I heard the rumble of an engine. I immidiately blew out the oil lamp and grabbed the python which Id place on the bed next to me. I didnt think it could be Daryl and I didnt want anyone sneaking up on me while I was unarmed. Opening the door quietly I slipped put onto the porch. It was dark with only a hint of light from the moon. I knew I had the advantage of the hight on anyone unwelcome. I couldnt see the colour of the car as it eased throught the trees and came to a stop, the front lights switching off. The lights had ruined my night vision so I had to close my eyes for a bit to get use to the dark again. When I opened them I could see a figure walking brieskly towards the tree with the hut we’d stayed in the first while. That had to be Daryl. I started srambling down the stairs ”Daryl! Daryl!” I called out and saw the figure stop and turn around. I was on the ground and running towards him before he could say anything and then I hugged him. Not like the typical ”man-hugs” were we slap eachother on the back and then pull away. No, I hugged him like I wanted to melt myself on to him. ””Rick” he mumbled and held me back. It was kinda ridiculous considering we were two grown me but I didnt ever want him to leave me behind again. Id been so on edge while he was gone. So worried about what he might run into on the road alone. Finally I pulled back and said ”Ive put all our stuff in the biggest hut” I could see the white in his eyes in the moonlight. He leaned in and kissed me. I cant even describe my relief. Id also worried that he might have used the time on the road to think and to regret and that he wouldnt want we’d started after all. I was so relieved it wasnt the case.   
He decided against unloading the car and instead let it wait until day light. We sat in bed with steaming coffee mugs while he told me about the trip. There hadnt been any messages for the rest of our group in the church in Emilys Creek. And no one had found the things we’d stored there. So Daryl had placed the letter with the road map for them behind the alter, loaded half of the saved stuff in the car and decided to drive back immidiatly. I was horrified that he’d driven in the dark instead of waiting and driving in the day. So many more things could happen in the dark that it was impossible to be prepared for. ”I wanted to get back here quickly” he said when he saw the look on my face. ”I worried that you might change your mind when I wasnt here but looking at the way you almost feel down the stairs, I take it you havnt changed your mind?” I did the only thing I could think of and took his face in my hands and kissed him, thoroughly. Putting everything I felt into the kiss. ”You havnt changed your mind” he grumbled when I pulled back.  
The next afternoon we sat on the bench infront of the hut with out feet up on the railing when Daryl suddenly stopped talking and got up abruptly. ”What?” I asked but he held out his hand to make me stay quiet. ”Two cars” he said. I felt my insides freeze up. It took a while before I could hear them but a while before the first car became visible in between the trees, I finally heard them. Holding my breath and reaching for the Pythin, I more felt than saw Daryl reach for the crossbow that he’d placed leaning agains the wall. The the first car was visible. I stifled a sob when I saw Hershel driving the car, Carl was on the passengerseat and in the back was Michonne and Carol with Judith. When the first car came to a stop, the other one eased up next to it. Maggie was driving it with Glenn next to her and Beth in the back. Our family had made it and were here.

The end


End file.
